Jones isn't out to save the world, she's just trying to find her place in it.

The series is dark not only because of Ritter's surly, sardonic and perpetually hung-over portrayal of Jones, but because of the traumatic undercurrent of her character's past.

Krysten Ritter and Rachael Taylor in a scene from the Netflix TV series Jessica Jones. MYLES ARONOWITZ/NETFLIX

While it might not be immediately apparent in the first episode, Jones is suffering PTSD from her run in with the show's baddie, Kilgrave (David Tennant).

Kilgrave has the ability to control anyone's mind and used his powers to make Jones do some terrible things.

"This show is not afraid to articulate how complicate and dynamic female characters are; human beings are always more than one thing," actress Rachael Taylor, who plays Jones' best friend Trish Walker, told APN.

"At one point our show was named AKA Jessica Jones and Melissa (Rosenberg, the show runner) in a subtextual way infused that through the series. Each character in the show has an alias. The characters all have the thing they appear to be on the surface and this shadow personality underneath."

Also supporting Ritter in this gritty new chapter of the Marvel Universe are Mike Colter as Luke Cage, also due to get his own Netflix show, Carrie-Anne Moss, Eka Darville and Wil Traval.